Coutinho says billing quarterly should help residents with water costs

ACUSHNET — Town Administrator Alan Coutinho said May 8 the town has decided to bill residents quarterly for water and sewer. Just under 3,000 Acushnet residents purchase water from New Bedford and about 900 residents are sewer users. Currently, residents are billed twice annually.

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By Peggy Aulisio

southcoasttoday.com

By Peggy Aulisio

Posted May. 16, 2013 at 10:10 AM

By Peggy Aulisio
Posted May. 16, 2013 at 10:10 AM

» Social News

ACUSHNET — Town Administrator Alan Coutinho said May 8 the town has decided to bill residents quarterly for water and sewer. Just under 3,000 Acushnet residents purchase water from New Bedford and about 900 residents are sewer users. Currently, residents are billed twice annually.

Mr. Coutinho said there were "significant discrepancies" between water consumption recorded on meters and the use billed to Acushnet residents. He said billing quarterly would make the billing "in tune with consumption reports from New Bedford."

Mr. Coutinho said Town Hall staff would handle the billing while the Department of Public Works is short on staff. He said the town had received permission from the Board of Public Works and state Department of Revenue to change the billing cycle.

After the meeting, Finance Director Cathy Doane said quarterly payments allow residents to spread the cost out instead of making larger payments twice a year. She said everyone will receive the first quarterly bill in September. Currently, residents are billed at different times of the year depending where they live.

Ms. Doane also said that quarterly billing will let the town "identify issues in a more timely manner and correct them."

Mr. Coutinho said the BPW is "moving in the right direction" to resolve issues discussed last month in a meeting with selectmen. He said he planned to meet with the board again on Monday of this week.

After the meeting, Mr. Coutinho said a water rate increase was "projected" that looked "significant" so they were trying to get "better data" to the Board of Public Works.